| Asthma

Advair Diskus vs Alvesco

Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for asthma.
Deep comparison between: Advair vs Alvesco with Prescriber.AI
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Safety signalsAlvesco has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Advair based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Alvesco but not Advair, including UnitedHealthcare
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Advair
Alvesco
At A Glance
Oral inhalation
Twice daily
ICS/LABA combination
Oral inhalation
Twice daily
Inhaled corticosteroid
Indications
  • Asthma
  • Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease
  • Asthma
Dosing
Asthma 1 inhalation twice daily approximately 12 hours apart; adults and adolescents aged >=12 years may use 100/50, 250/50, or 500/50 strengths (max ADVAIR DISKUS 500/50 twice daily); pediatric patients aged 4 to 11 years use 1 inhalation of ADVAIR DISKUS 100/50 twice daily.
Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease 1 inhalation of ADVAIR DISKUS 250/50 twice daily approximately 12 hours apart.
Asthma 80 mcg twice daily by oral inhalation as starting dose for patients on bronchodilators alone or inhaled corticosteroids, up to 320 mcg twice daily; patients previously on oral corticosteroids start at 320 mcg twice daily (maximum).
Contraindications
  • Primary treatment of status asthmaticus or other acute episodes of asthma or COPD where intensive measures are required
  • Severe hypersensitivity to milk proteins or demonstrated hypersensitivity to fluticasone propionate, salmeterol, or any of the excipients
  • Primary treatment of status asthmaticus or other acute episodes of asthma where intensive measures are required
  • Known hypersensitivity to ciclesonide or any ingredient of ALVESCO
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>=3%) Upper respiratory tract infection, pharyngitis, headaches, candidiasis mouth/throat, throat irritation, hoarseness/dysphonia, musculoskeletal pain, viral respiratory infections, nausea and vomiting, bronchitis, sinusitis, dizziness, muscle cramps and spasms
Serious Serious asthma-related events (hospitalizations, intubations, death), pneumonia in patients with COPD, cardiovascular and CNS effects, Candida albicans infection, immunosuppression, hypercorticism and adrenal suppression, reduction in bone mineral density, growth effects in pediatric patients, glaucoma and cataracts
Postmarketing Arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia), Cushing's syndrome, glaucoma, hyperglycemia, osteoporosis, paradoxical bronchospasm, immediate and delayed hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis, agitation, depression, dysmenorrhea
Most common (>=3%) Headache, nasopharyngitis, sinusitis, pharyngolaryngeal pain, upper respiratory infection, arthralgia, nasal congestion, pain in extremity, back pain
Serious Oropharyngeal candidiasis, immunosuppression and risk of infections, hypercorticism, adrenal suppression, reduction in bone mineral density, growth effects in pediatric patients, glaucoma, cataracts
Postmarketing Immediate or delayed hypersensitivity reactions including angioedema with swelling of lips, tongue, and pharynx
Pharmacology
ADVAIR DISKUS combines fluticasone propionate, a synthetic trifluorinated corticosteroid that suppresses airway inflammation by acting on multiple cell types and mediators, and salmeterol, a selective long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA) that relaxes bronchial smooth muscle by stimulating intracellular adenyl cyclase, increasing cyclic AMP levels.
Ciclesonide is an inhaled corticosteroid prodrug hydrolyzed by esterases to its active metabolite des-ciclesonide, which binds glucocorticoid receptors with 120-fold greater affinity than the parent compound and exerts broad anti-inflammatory activity against mast cells, eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils involved in the asthmatic response.
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Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Advair
  • Covered on 5 commercial plans
  • PA (9/12) · Step Therapy (5/12) · Qty limit (10/12)
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Alvesco
  • Covered on 5 commercial plans
  • PA (9/12) · Step Therapy (5/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
View full coverage details ›
UnitedHealthcare
Advair
  • Covered on 4 commercial plans
  • PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
View full coverage details ›
Alvesco
  • Covered on 4 commercial plans
  • PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (3/8) · Qty limit (3/8)
View full coverage details ›
Humana
Advair
  • Covered on 0 commercial plans
  • PA (2/3) · Step Therapy (2/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
View full coverage details ›
Alvesco
  • Covered on 0 commercial plans
  • PA (1/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
View full coverage details ›
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Advair.
No savings programs available for Alvesco.
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AdvairView full Advair profile
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.